Mistaken Gifts by Elena Aitken

Author:Elena Aitken [Aitken, Elena]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, enemies to friends, sexy romance, romance series, contemporary romance
Publisher: Ink Blot Communications
Published: 2014-12-11T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

It had seemed like a good idea at the time, Eva thought. These types of things always did. But as she waited at the table for Jeff, she couldn’t help but have second thoughts about her plans. Troy had agreed to grab something to eat at the pub so she could be alone with Jeff and come clean to him about her fake date with Troy. She'd had enough deception in her relationships, and although whatever was happening with Jeff was far from a relationship, she was tired of playing games.

Troy seemed to be fairly satisfied with eating alone in the pub, and Eva promised to text him later to fill him in on everything that happened with Jeff. Secretly, she hoped it would be much later. But if he didn't show up soon, her report to Troy would turn out a whole lot differently than she wanted it to.

She looked down to her blue tank dress, which she hoped wasn’t too dressy for the occasion. It was the only thing she could find that would accommodate her bandaged arm and the sling. She’d done her best to get ready by herself, brushing her hair and trying to apply makeup, but in the end she’d opted for a more natural look than she usually wore, only because putting on eyeliner and mascara with one hand was quite a bit trickier than she ever would have thought.

"Excuse me," she said to a passing waiter. "Could you tell me what time it is?" She could have checked her phone, and despite the fact that she’d asked the waiter twice already, she needed confirmation of what she already knew.

"It’s 6:35," the waiter said. He gave her a knowing look, no doubt because he assumed she’d been stood up.

But that’s exactly what had happened, wasn’t it? She must have really misread the signs Jeff had been throwing out. And she never misread signs from men. Never. Except…

"Thank you,” Eva told the waiter, absentmindedly looking up. She took a sip of her water and focused on the empty seat in front of her. Almost forty minutes. It was official—she'd been stood up.

Before she got up to leave, she looked around one last time still unable to process that he didn’t come.

"It's probably for the best," she said to herself.

"It usually is."

Eva spun around and couldn't help but smile at the waiter, who was far more perceptive than she'd given him credit for.

"It's his loss," the waiter said. "If he stood you up," he looked her up and down appreciatively, “he's not worth it."

Eva smiled and flicked her hair over her shoulder, buoyed by the compliment.

"Thanks, sweetie."

His loss or not, it still stung, but not for the reasons Eva would have thought. Jeff not showing up had a lot less to do with her ego and a whole lot more to do with the deep ache of loss she was feeling inside.

She should have followed her instincts and stuck with the fake date. Relationships were safer that way.

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